14 June 2018

In a separate deal, SSE will also work with Three UK to support its network’s growth and expansion goals.

Sky Business is Sky’s B2B division. In addition to its entertainment portfolio, it provides services that include Wi-Fi and a national Layer 2 Ethernet platform that offers dedicated connectivity to communications providers across the country. 

Under the partnership, SSE and Sky will work together to deliver high-capacity, cost effective Ethernet to businesses nationwide.

The two companies will combine their networks to reach what they claim is more than 3,000 exchanges. The say their highly resilient network includes automatic re-routing of traffic to avoid disruption.

Sky provides SSE with backhaul and last-mile services. SSE says this enables its 200+ service provider customers to benefit from more choice and a wider reach.

The firm adds that the agreement will also enable it to access 96 per cent of the UK’s business postcodes.

The partnership comes after a strong period of investment and growth for SSE Enterprise Telecoms which claims its Ethernet are orders up 186 per cent since 2015. 

Colin Sempill, MD, SSE Enterprise Telecoms, says: “Over the next few years UK businesses will demand better core network bandwidth, and our partnership with Sky directly addresses that need.

SSE Enterprise Telecoms MD Colin Sempill expects UK businesses to demand better core network bandwidth over the next few years.

"For us it’s all about giving the wholesale market clarity of choice, where it can sometimes be confusing and the quality is not always there. With this deal we’re providing one place for businesses to source a truly market-competitive price for high-capacity bandwidth services to support their growth needs.”

Meanwhile, in a separate deal announced at the start of May, SSE will also work with Three UK to support its network’s growth and expansion goals. 

In the first phase of the partnership, which started in April 2018, SSE has begun facilitating fibre optic connections for Three UK’s 20 core data centres. 

The deal is expected to support Three UK’s network transformation, preparing it for an eventual 5G rollout and helping to deliver an enhanced 4G network experience for consumers.

“We are putting our network on the best footing possible to meet the current and future demands of consumers,” says Bryn Jones, CTO, Three UK. “Our customers use up to 3.5 times more data than the rest of the UK, a demand which is only going to increase as we move towards a 5G world.”

The data centre connection contract is part of a multi-million pound phased agreement that will also see SSE and Three UK unbundle BT exchanges in the coming years.